Norway managed to score first today, but the lead didn’t last long as Slovakia exploded for an 8-4 win to kick off Friday’s action at the 2024 World Junior Championship in Sweden.
It was a difficult loss to the Norwegians, who outplayed Slovakia early. But now they sit at 0-3 and will need to beat Switzerland on Saturday if they’re going to avoid falling into the relegation round this year.
Slovakia, meanwhile, look good with a 3-0 record ahead of their final game against the United States on Sunday morning – a game that should decide the winner of Group B.
Norway’s lone goal came from Michael Brandsegg-Nygard at 3:08 – the first goal of the tournament for the 2024 NHL Draft prospect. But goals from Samuel Honzek and Juraj Pekarcik half a minute apart later in the third made it a 2-1 game to close out the first period.
The second was where everything fell apart, with Slovakia scoring five goals. Dalibor Dvorsky scored his first of the tournament, while Servac Petrovsky scored a pair to make it 5-1, temporarily taking over the tournament scoring lead. Peter Repcik then made it 6-1 on the power play before Luka Radivojevic scored his first of the tournament at 34:08.
The third period was quieter, with Stian Solberg scoring early for Norway. But Slovakia would regain its six-goal advantage with Dvorsky’s second of the game, only for Petter Vesterheim to score off of a Brandsegg-Nygaard rebound late to make it 8-3. Brandsegg-Nygaard then scored on a late-game power play, but it was far too late for them to get back into an otherwise lopsided contest.
Slovakia
#18 Servac Petrovsky, C (Minnesota Wild): After registering four points in his first two games, Petrovsky is doing everything in his power to become the tournament MVP. He had a four-point effort today, including a goal and two assists in the second period. He’s been great on the power play, has had no issue getting quality shots on net and his eye for passes has been as good as anyone.
#15 Dalibor Dvorsky, C (St. Louis Blues): It was only a matter of time until everything finally clicked for Slovakia’s top player. He had three assists, including a primary one that led to Petrovsky’s first goal at 27:10. But he also scored twice too, showing what happens when you give him space to unleash his wrister. Slovakia is rolling, and having Dvorsky playing like he did today helps.
#4 Maxim Strbak, D (Buffalo Sabres): I thought this was Strbak’s best game of the tournament, looking good on the attack, moving the puck well and, most importantly, looking good defensively. He had three assists, including a primary one that led to Petrovsky’s first goal at 27:10. He can get caught trying to do too much too often, but Strbak’s game was as steady as it has been in this tournament this year.
#10 Filip Mesar, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Mesar had three assists, but I thought it was more of the smaller things in his game that stood out today. The speed, the attack, the defensive play, everything just felt rounded. Mesar had some good stretch passes, but he also makes smart, short-distance plays that put defenders off guard, too.
Norway
#28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW (2024 NHL Draft): Nobody outworks Brandsegg-Nygard when he’s on his game, and a good end-to-end effort helped lead to the opening goal. He can really shoot it, too, knocking off Adam Gajan’s water bottle with a perfectly placed wrister. It was MBN’s first goal of the tournament, but don’t be surprised if he finds another against Switzerland because he’s been one of Norway’s best players throughout. He added an assist for good measure on Norway’s third goal before scoring his second of the game to make it 8-4.
#10 Stian Solberg, D (2024 NHL Draft): The other draft prospect of note, Solberg scored his first goal in the best effort you could possibly ask for in a lopsided loss. I thought he had some passes, play reads and I liked how he was willing to jump in on the rush.
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